Introduction: Fish Tank LED Moonlight / Moonlighting

This instructable will show you how to safely add LED lighting to a fishtank/vivarium.

I've tried previous versions of night / moon lighting in the tank, but none were up to the task:

Moonlight v1 - waterproofed high power LED's attached to the side of the tank - these gave pretty good lighting but there were too many pools of light in the tank, and also the number of wires was pretty unsightly.

Moonlight v2 - Cold cathode lighting (from a PC mod kit) , however as Ive got a large tank (180ltr) and I needed to extend the wires from the cathode tubes to the inverter - however when I did this I found that they no longer worked anywhere near as well (it seems this is a known issue with cathode lights).

So....back to Maplin and moonlights v3 is here!

If you want to see the tank please take a look at Fish Cam where there are 2 streaming live cams! To see how I did this you can view my other instructable HERE.

Step 1: Be Safe!

Before adding any more electrical stuff to your fish tank please, please install a RCD (Residual Current Detector) onto the power supply, these cost about £10/$20 and will save your life!

Water + Electricity dont make happy fun!

If the choice is dead fish or dead people, i know what I'd choose.

Admittedly Ive got a bit more under my fish tank than most (2 Cameras, Firewall, Router, Wireless gateway, 2 Web cams, 2 timers and more.!) but this is a worthwhile investment!

Step 2: The Bits You Will Need (and Maybe Some More!)

What you will need:
1 x 12v power supply (or whatever the LEDs need)
1 (or 2) x Strips of LEDs (or alternatives)
1 x Glue gun
2 x male phono plugs (if installing 2 strips)
2 x female phono plugs (if installing 2 strips)
1 x patience!
1M dual core wire

I decided to use the phono leads as detachable power leads for the lights so I can remove them from the tank easily when cleaning.

nb:/ If you cant get the LED strips then this would easily be achievable using a bunch of leds on a piece of stripboard.

Step 3: Solder on the Wire

Locate the +ive and -ive terminal on the LED strips, and solder on the wire.

Step 4: Measure Where You Want to Install the Strip on Your Tank

Open up the lid on your tank and measure from the strip light to the edge of the tank, then use this measurement to choose where to install the stip on the lid.

Step 5: Water Seal the Connections and Glue to the Tank Lid

Use the glue gun to totally cover the solder joint, and then use it to glue the strip to the fish tank lid.

Step 6: Waterproof the Stip

The LED strip i bought was not waterproof and was meant to be used in a dry environment, to make it 'fish tank proof' I used the glue gun and covered it from top to bottom in glue!

Step 7: Connect the Phono Plug and Trunk the Wiring

Now solder on the phono plug and use cable clips to hold the cable in place.

Step 8: Almost Completed.......

...er well kind of!

After installing the one light i decided it didnt light quiet enough so I installed another strip onto the other lid on the tank!

Step 9: Connect Both Stips Together

To make both strips of LEDs work at the same time I installed a joining block with both female phono plugs coming off it - so that everything could be ran from the same power block.

Step 10: The End Result

Voila! Here is the end result - note the photo of the LEDs in position after a night covered in water (the glue'ing is definately needed!).

Dont forget to take a look at the fish tank Fish Cam!

Please post any pics if you give it a go!